Embrace
by theCesar09
Summary: What happens when a unwilling princess doesn't want to stay behind and goes to journey with the Chosen One to find their friend and his partners' king? (End of KH1-CoM)
1. Chapter 1

**Hollow Bastion**

Sora had just beaten his friend Riku, who was possesed by Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. He also found out that Kairi's heart was resting within him. They were about to seal the keyhole when...

"Huh? What the? My keyblade won't work!" Sora exclaimed, at the shock of Donald and Goofy.

"It won't work! The keyhole's not finished yet!" Goofy exclaimed. "What can we do?" Sora said, unsure. Goofy then turned to the lifeless body of Kairi. "Maybe we gotta go wake Kairi up."

"But... how?" Sora questioned the two, shaking their heads. The brunette eventually noticed the Keyblade that Riku-Ansem used to nearly kill him. He slowly walked up to it and picked it up._ 'A keyblade that unlocks people's hearts... I may have to make some sacrificing.'_ Sora quietly thought to himself.

_'But first...'_ Sora thought again, looking at the lifeless body of Kairi. He gently put down the keyblade and quietly summoned his trusted Kingdom Key into his right hand. He then walked up to Kairi's body, kneeled down and gently put his Kingdom Key on her right hand. _"Take care of the worlds."_ Sora quietly whispered to her. He then kneeled up and picked up the other Keyblade.

"Sora?" Goofy asked him in worry. "Sora, don't do it! We have other ways of waking Kairi up!" Donald shouted to him.

"Donald. Goofy." Sora quietly said. The two animals tilted their head in confusion. Sora turned around and the two saw him tearing. "Take care of Kairi *sob* and train her, *sob* okay?"

Donald and Goofy nodded at him, but he immediatly stabbed the Keyblade at his heart, a single tear comming out. Eventually, the keyblade dissipated, showing six hearts, assuming it is the Princesses' hearts. Meanwhile, with Sora... Kairi's heart was released from Sora and he was fading away...

"SORA! SORA!" Donald yelled and ran at him, and meanwhile, Kairi's heart entered back in her body, and the first she saw after she opened her eyes was a fading Sora. She did not waste any time, sat up and ran towards the brunette, failing to notice Sora's Keyblade was on her right hand.

"Sora!" Kairi shouted but she came too late. Right at the moment she arrived at him, he vanished into pieces of light in the air. She also noticed Sora's Keyblade was in her right hand, when she looked at it, she heard Sora's voice in her mind.

_"Take care of the worlds."_

"Sora!" Donald yelled again. "Come back, Sora!"

**Unknow****n**

Sora was falling through the darkness, slowly...

"What's... What's happening to me?" Sora quietly asked to himself.

"Falling... falling... into darkness."

**Hollow Bastion**

After Sora's sacrifice, Kairi, Donald and Goofy were staring at the sky, in shock.

"Sora... Are you really- No. He can't be! I won't let him go!" Kairi said, grasping her necklace with her left hand. "But... Why do i have his Keyblade?" She questioned herself...

"Gawrsh, Kairi. Sora said to take care of ya and train ya, just like we did with him! Plus the King said to 'follow the key', so we're with ya now!" Goofy said, motivating Kairi as she smiled. "Thank you, Goofy." Kairi simply said.

"**So, you have awakened at last, Princess Kairi.**" A powerful voice came out of a dark corridor. It was himself. Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. However, he was not in Riku's body anymore, instead a new one.

Silver hair.

Tanned skin.

Orange eyes.

Black-themed clothing.

**The heartless symbol.**

"A-Ansem..." Kairi was out of words. This was the man who destroyed their simple lifes and dragged her, Sora and Riku in this mess.

"**The keyhole is now complete. Your job is now done. Now it's time to finish it-**" Ansem was threatning Kairi until he saw her with that wretched kid's Keyblade. "**No way...**"

"**_BLAST THAT MEDDLESOME KID!_**" Ansem yelled loudly with Kairi, Donald and Goofy covering their ears. "Yeah, he gave me his keyblade. And he's **NOT** a kid anymore!" Kairi shouted back to him. She was clearly upset at this point.

"**Doesn't matter. This is where it ends now.**" Ansem calmly said, trying to walk to Kairi, however, as soon as he tried to take a step, he was frozen. "**What the...**"

"NO! YOU.. W.. WON'T USE ME FOR THIS!" A sudden blast of light appeared, with a transparent Riku, who was struggling against Ansem's control. "KAIRI! YOU'VE... GOT TO RUN! THE HEARTLESS ARE COMING!" Riku shouted to Kairi, who nodded.

"O-okay... Not if you come with me!" Kairi called out to Riku, who shook his head. "Ansem has control of my body, and i can't hold it for much longer, so just RUN!"

"Can't you use the Heartless?" Donald asked the silverette as they begun to slowly walk away, who shook his head. "Any control of the Heartless i had is now in Ansem's." Eventually, Kairi, Donald and Goofy ran away, and Ansem dissapeared. the trio failed to notice that a single Shadow Heartless appeared on the place Sora sacrificed himself.

Kairi, Donald and Goofy were trying to run away back to the Gummi Ship, to regroup back at Traverse Town, slashing each Heartless that was on their way, still failing to notice that a Shadow was following them. It was until they reached near the Rising Falls that they noticed.

"Hey, look! a Heartless is followin' us!" Goofy exclaimed at the Heartless. Unlike most of them, which act on pure instict, did not attack any of them. It just stayed still, even when Donald bashed his staff at it.

"Confounded Heartless! Get lost, will ya?!" Donald shouted at it, but then Kairi noticed a light within the deepest darkness. _'Is that...__'_ Kairi thought to herself, but decided to speak up.

"Sora? Is that really you?" Kairi questioned to the heartless, who just twitched his antenna. However, a wave of Heartless appeared, encircling her and Sora's Heartless. "This time, i'll protect you." Kairi said, summoning his Keyblade and putting in a battle stance. Due to trying to protect Sora, when many Heartless tried to attack her, she was horrified and summoned away her keyblade and hugged Sora's heartless.

"Sora!" Kairi called out to him when they were attacked. Donald and Goofy killed one when they noticed the horde attacking Kairi. "Kairi!" Goofy shouted, with the two animals with horrified faces.

However, a burst of light dissipated the Heartless away and miracuriously, Sora was revived, hugging Kairi. "Kairi, thank you."

When Kairi looked at the revived Sora, she smiled and quietly said. "Sora!"

"SORA!" Donald and Goofy shouted in unison, happy for him, as their last half-pint returned to the group safely. It was when Kairi noticed it, and summoned his keyblade. "Here. It's yours, isn't it?" Kairi questioned him. Sora slightly giggled and took his keyblade. However, another swarm appeared, and everyone took in their battle stances except Kairi, but then, the Beast suddenly appeared, roaring and killing heartless.

"GO! NOW! THE HEARTLESS ARE COMING!" Beast yelled at them, but Sora didn't like it. "Come with us!"

"No! I can't leave without Belle!" Beast shouted back at them. "Now go!"

The four of them ran away to the gummi ship to warp back to Traverse Town, to regroup after the madness.

-

**AN: This oneshot was kinda in my mind for a while... So yeah, Kairi was able to use the Kingdom Key since she techincally got accidentally inherited the keyblade's power by Aqua...**** If I get enough support to make it running, then okay i'll do it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**When i posted this one-shot, it sprang many ideas in my mind if Kairi wasn't useless like what Nomura did to her. I guess this is a full-blown story now. Enjoy.**

\--

**Traverse Town**

"Tell me what happened."

After the whole chaos of Hollow Bastion, the four of them went back to Traverse Town and ran to the Hotel in the Third District. Then, Sora started to tell Leon, Yuffie, Aerith and Cid about what happened at Hollow Bastion, and Kairi continued to tell when he became a Heartless.

"So the darkness is flowing out of the Keyhole." Leon simply said, leaning against one of the walls.

"No wonder there are more and more Heartless everywhere. The only way to stop them is-" Aerith said, but Sora cut her off. "Seal the keyhole, right?"

"Maybe. But no one knows what will happen once it's sealed." Leon replied, but Sora quickly reacted again.

"Well, we can't just stay here. We have to do something. I still need to save a friend back there." Sora said, with his voice increasing. "That's right. You have one more friend to worry about. Riku's Keyblade must've been born from the princesses' hearts, just like that Keyhole you saw." Leon started to say, then he looked at Kairi.

"Of course, without Kairi's heart, it remained incomplete. Once that keyblade was destroyed, the princesses' hearts should've been freed." Leon said then incentived the brunette.

"Don't worry Sora. If anyone can save your friend, you can."

Sora walked out to the third district, once when he left, Kairi sat on the bad and sighed.

"I still don't get how i managed to wield Sora's keyblade, even before he released my heart."

**Moments l****ater**

Kairi huffed a little when she arrived at the secret waterway, because she was basically hunted down by the Heartless until she arrived to Merlin's study.

She noticed a weird mural at the end of the waterway. When Sora and the others arrived, she was staring at it and quietly said.

"What a mysterious mural... It's almost hypnotizing."

Sora quietly walked over to the mural, then the sun sketch glowed, releasing a navi gummi. Sora held on to it and quietly put in his pocket. the sun sketch turned into a moon sketch. Then, he came back to Kairi and stated to her. "Let's go back to join the others. We should rest up."

"Okay."

Kairi stopped looking at him and quietly said.

"A light at the end of the tunnel..."

"Oh, your grandma's story, right?" Sora asked her, who looked back to him in shock. Then, she smiled. "That's right. We were together."

"You know what's funny?" Sora asked to her, who shooked her head. "I looked everywhere for you, but you were with me all along." Sora replied while walking up to her.

"Finally, we're together, Kairi. Now, it's time to get Riku back."

"You think it'll be the same again between us?" Kairi asked the brunette. "Riku's lost his..."

"When i turned into a heartless, you saved me, remember?" Sora started to explain, earning a look from her.

"I was lost in the darkness. I couldn't find my way. As i stumbled through the dark, I started forgetting things- my friends, who i was. The darkness almost swallowed me."

"But then, i heard a voice- Your voice. You brought me back." Sora finished, earning a nod from Kairi.

"I didn't want to forget about you, Sora. I couldn't." Kairi said.

"That's it! Our hearts are connected. And the light from our hearts broke through the darkness. I saw that light. I think that's what saved me." Sora said, walking away from Kairi.

"No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within. I guess it's just more than a fairy tale." Sora said, while turning back to Kairi.

"Let's go."

"You can't go!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's too dangerous."

Kairi eventually turned her right arm against her left ankle.

"Come on, Sora. We made it this far by sticking together. You can't go alone."

"Kairi, even if we're apart, we aren't alone, right?"

Silence ensued for some seconds before Kairi said again.

"I can't help?"

"You'd kind of be in my way." Sora said with a little sarcasm. Kairi chucked a little. "Okay." Kairi closed her eyes in defeat. "You win." She opened her eyes and gave Sora her lucky charm she had finished before the Islands fell.

"Take this. It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me." Kairi explained to the brunette, who reaffirmed her.

"Don't worry. I will."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, i'll always be with you." Kairi finalised, then a sudden burst of light surrounded Kairi. Sora gasped at this. When the light faded out, Kairi was holding a different keyblade. She heard a voice in her mind.

_'Destiny's Embrace...'_

"Wow, Kairi." Sora was shocked, since Kairi could wield a _freaking_ keyblade!

"Doesn't matter." She summons away her new Keyblade. "I'll stay in here."

**A day after**

Sora had just left Traverse Town to finally seal Hollow Bastion's Keyhole. Kairi blankly started at where Sora was.

_"Wherever you go, i"ll always be with you."_

When she turned back, she saw Leon, Yuffie and Aerith walking towards her.

"Uhh... Where are you going?" Kairi asked the three. Leon smirked. "To Hollow Bastion. Revisting our childhood home."

That's when realization hit Kairi's head. During her sleep, she vaguely remembered that Hollow Bastion was her childhood home, too.

"I'm... going too." Kairi said, earning a look from Leon.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! I now remember that Hollow Bastion was my childhood home, too." Leon smirked again. He'd knew Kairi was gonna beg for it. "Alright, fine. But stay close to us." Yuffie cheered.

"Well let's go."

"But in what ship?" Kairi asked Leon.

"In Cid's. We'll pick him up once when the worlds are restored."

**Hollow Bastion**

As soon as they reached the Rising Falls, Kairi massively sighed, looking at the castle.

"I vaguely remember, but before it was destroyed by the Heartless, it looked beautiful." Kairi said, with the others nodding too.

Eventually, they made their way around the Rising Falls, and once they reached near the castle, Heartless appeared. Everyone except Kairi went into a battle stance. "Stay back!" Leon shouted to her. She smirked. She summoned her Keyblade, and went into a battle stance. Everyone looked at her in suprise, ready to ask when she simply said.

"Gained my keyblade from my bond with Sora." Leon smiled.

"Then let's go."

**A few moments later and many Heartless ****encounters**

Everyone panted when they finally defeated the last Heartless horde near the Keyhole.

"Phew. That should do it." Leon said.

Kairi collapsed to her knees, being too exhausted from all those battles. Eventually, she fainted due to too much exhaustion.

**With Sora**

Sora was panting when he finally defeat the Behemoth, and was about to seal Hollow Bastion's Keyhole when Leon called him out from the other side.

"Sora, you did it."

Sora noticed Leon's voice and walked out of the Keyhole, Donald and Goofy shrugged and followed him.

When they walked out of the Keyhole, they saw Leon looking out, Yuffie sat and Aerith, kneeled and treating... Kairi?!

"What are you all doing here? And why is Kairi unconscious?" Sora asked Leon.

"We're here because this is our childhood home. But then, due to Kairi's light, we encountered many Heartless. She fainted due to exhaustion."

"Poor thing... She wasn't really prepared for _th__at_ many encounters with the Heartless. Even if she's now a keyblade wielder." Aerith said, while brushing her hair.

"Wait, Sora. Kairi's a keyblade wielder?" Donald asked the brunette, who nodded. "Uhh... Apologies if i didn't mention that. She recently gained one, possibly from the bond i have with her."

"Doesn't matter. If we defeat Ansem, the worlds are restored." Aerith started then Yuffie finished.

"That also means goodbye. Before all of this, you didn't know there was other worlds, right?" Yuffie asked the brunette, who nodded.

"That's because there was a impassable wall between the worlds, meaning the gummi ship will be useless." Aerith replied, and Leon stepped up to continue it.

"It was shattered once when the Heartless started to invade the worlds. If the worlds are restored, so are the walls."

"We may never meet again, but we will never forget each other." Leon started.

"No matter where we are, our hearts will bring us together again." Aerith continued.

"Besides, I couldn't forget you even if i wanted to." Yuffie finished. Sora eventually asked her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Then, Kairi slowly opened her eyes. Aerith helped her sit and she said.

"S-Sora..."

Then, Donald called him out. "Sora!"

Goofy also called him out. "Hurry! Seal the Keyhole!"

"Sora, good luck." Leon said. Kairi also reminded the brunette.

"Remember our promise." Sora nodded and went to seal the Keyhole.

**A few moments later**

Sora was discussing to the other princesses.

"...And what about Kairi? Will she return to the Island or stay here?" Sora asked the princesses. Princess Aurora replied.

"I think once the worlds are restored, Kairi is gonna stay in here. You would return to your home world." Sora frowned, thinking he might never meet Kairi again, but Goofy patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry Sora! Just think of your bond with Kairi! She's gonna be fine, ahyuck." This made Sora smile.

"Thanks, Goofy."

**Timeskip**

It had been done. Ansem was defeated. Kingdom Hearts was sealed, but Riku and the King were locked in the dark realm.

_"Don't worry. There will always be a door to the light."_

When Sora looked at the other side, she saw Kairi, and ran to her. "Kairi!" Donald tried to run also, but Goofy stopped him. The two animals looked and frowned at the two.

"Sora!" Kairi called to him, and she decided to ask him.

"Where's Riku?"

"There." Sora points at where Kingdom Hearts was. "His heart chose to seal Kingdom Hearts from the other side."

"Want to join us in finding Riku and King Mickey?" Sora suddenly asked her, holding his hand to her. She nodded and grabbed it. "Sure. Why wouldn't i?" Kairi chuckled. "Then well..." Eventually, the two were blinded by the light and they lost conciousness.

**Plain Fields**

When the four woke up, they were in a simple field, with a dirt road. Donald and Goofy scrapped their clothing they were using ever since they first visited Traverse Town away and went for their iconic ones. Sora and Kairi kept their duds, but when she was at Hollow Bastion, Aerith gave her a pocket, where Jiminy was currently finishing to write his journal, descripting what happened in Sora's quest to save the worlds. She had placed it on her lavender skirt.

The four(Five if you count Jiminy in Kairi's pocket) had been walking around the dirt when Donald finally said.

"Well, now what do we do?" Kairi just shrugged. Sora decided to say.

"We gotta find Riku and King Mickey."

"But uh, where do we start lookin' for that there door to the light?"

When Goofy questioned, the four of them stopped walking and hung their heads in defeat, and Kairi sighed a little.

However, Sora raised his head a little and saw Pluto, the King's most trusted dog walk out of the grass. The others also raised their heads.

"Pluto?" Donald asked the dog, who got his attention at them. Goofy also asked him.

"Hey Pluto, where have you been?"

However, the four noticed a letter, it had...

"Gawrsh, that's the king's seal!" Goofy exclaimed. Sora bent down a little and asked Pluto.

"Hey, have you seen King Mickey?"

Pluto started to run into the fields as a response, probably. Goofy and Donald looked at each other, and Kairi widely smiled.

"Come on, guys!" Sora called out, motioning to run after Pluto, and he started to run. Kairi eventually shouted to him.

"Hey, wait up, lazy bum! Don't go running off without us!" Kairi, Donald and Goofy started to run too, while the two teenagers were giggling all the time. Oh, if they knew the madness that would propel.

\--

**And that's that. I know that y'all think; oh this was way too short. Wait. This will also include Chain of Memories, too, so that the story isn't hella short.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Into Oblivion

"Come on, guys!"

Sora, Kairi, Donald and Goofy were running on the plain dirt road, after Pluto, thinking that him will lead them to King Mickey and Riku.

Eventually, on the second night ever since they went after Pluto, they decided to make camp again. In the middle of the night, Sora suddenly woke up when the others were sleeping. Instead of walking calmly into the dirt road, he decided to wake Kairi up.

"Hey, Kairi. Wake up." Sora said while shaking her to wake up. She groaned a little and moved to the other side and muttered.

"Five more minutes, Sora."

Sora sighs and walks lonely in the path when he heard a voice behind.

"**Ahead lies something you need****.**" a figure clad in a black coat, said behind Sora. the brunette turned back and didn't see him. When he turned around, he saw him. It was a male voice.

"**But first- to see something dear to you- You must leave behind your most important person.**" The figure said, kind of like ordering Sora. He thought for a bit, but the figure threw a card to him that he picked up. He looked at it and thought. He looked back to where the figure was, and he was gone. He then called Kairi(again), Donald and Goofy. the three groaned.

**Castle Oblivion**

With Kairi, Donald and Goofy a long way behind, still yawning, Sora stumbled upon a weird castle that was in the card the figure gave it to him.

_~Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories__~_

**Castle Oblivion, Basement**

Sora, Kairi, Donald and Goofy looked around the surroundings. The four had to blink a few times to adapt to _SO MUCH LIGHT_, whoever made this castle clearly didn't care for coloring.

The four walked in a little, before Goofy stopped to ask.

"Are ya sure that we should barge in like this?" Goofy asked. Donald replied. "Maybe. But we have to if we find the king here."

"The king?! King Mickey's here?!"

"That's just a feeling i had once we stepped in here."

"Gawrsh, ya know, i have that same feelin'."

"Don't say it too! I also sensed the King here!"

Jiminy hopped out of Kairi's pocket to the redhead's shoulder.

"Think again, too! I also sensed him in here too!"

"Gawrsh, maybe it's contagious."

"What about you, Kairi?" Goofy asked her, who closed her eyes, and then she opened in shock, too.

"I sensed the king and Riku's light, they're definetly in here!"

"One minute in here and we knew it. They're here." Sora said.

Eventually, Jiminy hopped back into Kairi's pocket, and the two teenagers started to walk.

"Hey! Where are you two going?" Donald asked Sora and Kairi.

"To check it out."

"Scared?" Sora and Kairi giggled.

"C-Come on, Goofy!" Donald exclaimed and ran to them.

"Hey fellers, shouldn't we shut the door behind-" Goofy started to question, but when he stared at the door, he saw the figure, and silently gasped in shock.

"Sora!"

Sora, Kairi and Donald ran to where Goofy was, and brandished their weapons at him. The figure suddenly teleported to the other side.

"That's it! Who are you?!" Sora demanded at the figure.

"It must be a Heartless, let's see if it handles my magic! THUNDER!" Donald shouted to use Thundaga, but it didn't work.

"Uh, Donald... I don't think this is a heartless." Kairi calmly said to Donald.

"I can't sense any light nor darkness within him."

"Bingo." the figure said. "Once when you set foot in this castle, you forget every spell and ability you've learned until now."

"In this place, to find is to lose, and to lose is to find. That's how the way things work here in Castle Oblivion." the figure explained.

"Castle Oblivion?" Sora questioned.

"Yes. In here you will meet people- People that you miss. At the very end of it, you will meet someone who's dear with you."

"RIKU! So Riku's definetly in here, just like what Kairi sensed!"

"Maybe. But first..." the figure said and simply dashed through Sora, then did the same with Kairi. The two teenagers suddenly felt a headache from the dash.

"W-What did you do?" Kairi asked the figure, her hands in her forehead.

"I simply sampled your memories, and with those..." the figure showed two cards. "I made these." He throwed one at Sora, and the other at Kairi. The two teenagers catched the cards.

"What is this? A card?" Sora asked him.

"These cards create a world crafted from your memories. Now..." the figure suddenly teleported behind Kairi and hit her neck, in which immediatly she fell unconscious and jerked backwards. Jiminy hopped out of Kairi's pocket and went to her. Sora gasped at that, ran to her unconscious form and yelled at him.

"**WHY DID YOU DO THAT? KAIRI DID NOTHING WRONG!**"

"It's simple. You need to go on this journey without the princess. She'll be going off on her own to try to remember her past." Sora bits his lip and kneels up.

"Fine."

Sora eventually went to the door and did everything that the figure asked him to do. When he was done...

"Did i do it right?" the figure nodded.

"Now go forth Keyblade master. Remember: At the end of it. You will meet someone who's dear to you."

Sora eventually walked in the door, and the three were swallowed by light. the figure dissapeared in a dark corridor, and only an unconscious Kairi and Jiminy were left there. the cricket sighed.

"Oh man, that figure was really weird. Plus, i have to cope with an unconscious Kairi."

**Hours later**

Jiminy was writing again in his journal, this time of the new journey. However, sudden light appeared and the cricket had to shield his eyes. The first thing he saw afterwards, was Riku.

Jiminy hopped to gain his attention, in which he did. "Huh?"

Then, the silverette noticed Jiminy and was horrified when he saw Kairi's unconscious form. "Kairi!"

Riku ran to her and tried to shake her body. the redhead groaned and slowly opened her eyes. "R-Riku?" Kairi weakly said.

Kairi tried to stand up, but she was very weak now. Riku helped her stand up, having her right arm over his shoulder.

"T-Thank you, Riku."

Riku smirked.

"That's what friends are for. Look, i'm really sorry for causing this. All i wanted... was just to visit other worlds."

"It's fine. I accept your apology." Kairi weakly smiled. She then told, with the help of Jiminy what happened after Sora and the King sealed Kingdom Hearts.

"So uh, mind if me and Jiminy stick with you?" Kairi asked Riku, who nodded. "Sure, why not."

Jiminy hopped back on Kairi's pocket, and after a few steps, Kairi walked without Riku's help. The silverette then used a card that was in his hand on the door. It sprang open, and the two walked in.

**Hollow Bastion**

"No way..." Kairi said.

"This is Hollow Bastion!" Riku finished.

\--

**Dun dun dunnnn! I had to split Sora and Kairi mainly due to a certain Nobody of her, so Kairi and Jiminy is now with Riku! Also, i originally planned to include the entirety of Hollow Bastion (Reverse/Rebirth), but nah that'll be for next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Reviving Hollow Bastion

"No way..."

"This is Hollow Bastion!"

Kairi and Riku were shocked at seeing Hollow Bastion's castle once again, after all the suffering they had seen from Maleficent and Ansem(from Riku possesed to Sora sacrificing himself).

_'What do you see is not real. This is a world crafted from your memories.'_ a voice said in Riku's mind.

"You hear this voice, Kairi?" Riku asked the redhead, who shooked her head. the silverette sighed.

_'My memories?' _Riku thought back to the voice.

_'The things you remember from your time at Maleficent's castle became a card, and that card created a world.' _The voice said to Riku.

_'You've seen everything here before, haven't you?'_

_'__Yeah...'_ Riku thought back to the voice.

_'So what now? Am i going to learn something? Maybe meet someone?'_

_'You would meet the people in your memories. Ordinarily.'_

_'What does that mean?'_

'_HEY! I'm asking you a question!'_

"... Fine." Riku calmly said.

"What do you mean, fine?"

"That voice left me in question. Doesn't matter. Let's go."

Riku and Kairi calmly walked around Hollow Bastion when they got surrounded by a horde of powerful Heartless.

"Stay back!" Riku said to her, summoning his Soul Eater. She smirked and summoned her Keyblade.

"How..." Riku mumbled.

"Simple. Bond with Sora." Riku smirked.

"Very well then, let's go."

**Meanwhile, with Sora**

Sora walked out of the memory Traverse Town, into a floor similar to the one at the basement.

"Miss them?" the figure asked. Sora nodded.

"I still don't forgive you for knocking Kairi out like that."

Just by then, a readhead with the same black coat showed up, with the figure noticing

"Boo."

"You."

"I'm just bored. Maybe some sparring will do." The figure thought then tossed a card to him.

"Very well." the figure dissapeared in a dark corridor.

The redhead eventually walked to face Sora and introduced himself.

"My name is Axel. Got it memorized?" Axel asked Sora, who nodded.

"Good. Now, Sora..." Axel said, then held his hands out, and summoned two chakrams.

"...don't go dying on me!"

**Back to Riku and Kairi**

After defearing the horde, Riku and Kairi kept walking around Hollow Bastion when the two stumbled upon a barely lit room. Riku's.

Riku sighed.

"Everything IS just how i remember it. Even this room..."

"Wait so, when you stayed in here, you were in this room?" Jiminy appeared from Kairi's pocket and asked the silverette, who nodded.

"Yep."

_'It must be nice being back in your bedroom.'_

_'T__hink of all the memories.'_ the voice said, this time, Kairi and Jiminy could also hear it.

"You again." Riku said. "Yep, this time me and Jiminy can hear it too."

"Sorry, but these memories i could do without. Maleficent gave me this room." Riku stated. Kairi frowned, remembering when she saw Sora, Donald and Goofy fight her inside Sora's heart.

_'So she did. And you lived here, tempted by the darkness she offered.'_

_'You cast away your home,__ your friends, everything,__ but at least they gave you a nice room__.'_

"Alright voice, sure he casted away everything, but he at least APOLOGIZED!" Kairi shouted to the voice.

"**STOP TALKING!**" Riku yelled at the voice, Kairi gasped in shock, since she sensed a growing darkness inside him.

_'Bold words from you, Her Majesty.'_ the voice said and dissipated again. Kairi tilted her own head in confusion.

"Why did he call me Her Majesty? I don't recall being an actual princess." She said, in confusion. Riku shrugged.

"Perhaps it's because of your status as a Princess of Heart."

"Could be."

The two eventually ran out of Riku's room.

**With Sor****a**

Sora panted lightly against Axel, but the brunette remained superior.

"Good job, Keyblade Master."

"Wait what?"

"I was only testing you."

Sora mouths an 'o' at Axel's words. "But remember."

"Once when your sleeping memories awaken."

"You may be no longer be yourself." With that, Axel dissapeared using a dark corridor.

"What did Axel mean 'You may be no longer be yourself?'"

**With Riku and Kair****i**

After running around(and getting into some Heartless trouble), they stumbled upon on one of the many halls. However, it was the same where Riku and Sora fought before.

_"My friends are my power!"_

"No one's here either..."

"There's nothing but Heartless here." Jiminy noted from Kairi's pocket. Riku jumped down to near the fountain, Kairi shrugged and did the same, then the silverette shouted.

"Voice! I know you're watching- Explain this!"

"Where are the people from my memories?!"

_'Do you want to see them?'_

"Of course i do."

_'But you cast them aside._' "What?"

_'You dreamt of the outside world, and you passed through the door to darkness.'_

_'Behind you, you left family, friends, home- everything -all in pursuit of darkness.'_

"But i cast that aside too!"

_'And what do you have to show for it?'_

_'First your home, then your dark. Your heart only knows to cast away.__' _Kairi was mad at the voice and yelled.

"**BE RESPECTFUL FOR HIM!**"

The voice didn't mind.

_'It's empty- like that room. Like your memories. That's why you don't meet anyone.'_

_'Your heart is hollow- except for the residual darkness.__'_

"You're wrong! I rejected the darkness!"

The voice laughed.

_'Did you really, now?'_

"Ugh. I'm hating that voice." Kairi ranted. Riku couldn't help but nod. The two eventually ran out of the room for the exit.

**insert spongebob 'A few moments later' and some Heartless encounters**

Riku and Kairi ran into another hall and there she was. The mistress of all evil; Maleficent.

"I see you've returned, Riku. And you brought the princess."

"Maleficent?!" Kairi gasped.

"How?! How you're alive?!" Riku gasped too.

"You haven't been paying attention. I am all but a figment of your memory." That's where realization hit Riku's head.

"Of all the people i could run into, it had to be you."

"But of course. After all, your heart is steeped into darkness."

"You can only see those who exist in that same darkness..."

"No..."

"Be grateful you have company. Otherwise your heart would be hollow."

"Were it not for the darkness it contains, you'd be alone."

"You're wrong, Maleficent. I'm not alone. I have Kairi by my side now."

"Come, now. You once turned to me to sate your hunger for darkness."

"You want me here. Who but i can grand you the darkness you long for. I'm also keeping the princess hostage if you step in."

"There was a time i wanted you around. I surrended my heart to the dark. But now..." Riku summoned his Soul Eater and went into his battle stance.

"I won't walk in that same path again! Nor let you keep Kairi hostage!" Riku shouted.

"You dare defy me, the Mistress of all Evil? **SUBMIT!**" Maleficent shouted, and in an explosion of darkness, she transformed herself into...

**BOSS FIGHT: Dragon Maleficent**

Riku was shocked at that and resumed his battle stance. Kairi summoned her keyblade too. Jiminy peeked from Kairi's pocket. "Goodness me!" Jiminy immediatly went to pick his first volume of the journal.

"Alright, here it is. Dragon Maleficent." Jiminy started to explain Maleficent's strong points and weak points. Riku and Kairi nodded. "Shall we?" Kairi asked the silverette, who nodded.

"Shall we."

Riku and Kairi immediatly went to strike Maleficent but she quickly whipped her tail, sending Riku around. Kairi gasped at this, but she didn't mind and went to strike her head. Riku eventually regained traction of himself and lunged forward to Maleficent, also striking her. She then decided to let out a powerful green flame, which caught the two teenagers by suprise. Kairi was thrown to the side by Riku, who escaped Maleficent's fire _by the skin of the teeth_. He then eventually jumped and attacked Maleficent with an aerial combo. Kairi was suprised on how skilled Riku was on the Soul Eater.

When the fire died out, Kairi ran to her and went to strike just as when Riku was about to deliver the final blow.

The two teenagers delivered the final blow to Maleficent. She dissapeared. Riku summoned away his Soul Eater. Kairi also summoned away her Keyblade.

"Alright. I think we should go, right?" Kairi asked Riku, who nodded.

"Yeah, we should."

Riku and Kairi ran away from where once was Maleficent.

**Floor 2**

Riku and Kairi normally walked out of the big door, leaving behind the memory world of Hollow Bastion.

"Why do you shun the darkness?" an familiar voice said to Riku, who stopped walking. Kairi also did.

"Hmph. Come on, i know you heard me- every word i said to Maleficent." Riku simply said.

"Darkness is your weapon. It is time you learned you must accept it."

"What do you mean?" Riku asked, but Kairi was horrified. She knew the voice.

"Stop resisting. Accept the darkness. You have no choice..."

And in a dark corridor. _**HE** _appeared. Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. Kairi gasped, horrified. She was holding Riku's left arm for dear life.

"If you are to serve me again."

"I thought it was you, Ansem..."

Ansem smirked.

"Look at how terrified the princess is." Riku noticed a terrified Kairi, holding his left arm for dear life.

"You aren't so suprised."

"All you have been talking about is the darkness. I can only assume you wanna pull me back in... So you can play puppet master."

"Clever boy. I knew you'd be the one to most appropiately serve me."

"And now, surrender to me again-" Ansem said, but Riku cut him off.

"You're crazy! Not a chance!" Riku said, summoning his Soul Eater.

"Very well, then..."


	5. Jiminy's Journal

Characters:

Sora \- A bright and spirited boy, chosen by the keyblade. Once when his home world got destroyed by the darkness, Sora went into a quest to save the worlds. He now sets out to journey to find his friend Riku and King Mickey, who went missing after the latter and him sealed the door to Kingdom Hearts. Sora and Goofy are specially good friends apart from Riku and Kairi.

Donald Duck \- Court Magician of Disney Castle. He set out to journey with Goofy after his king went missing. His short temper sometimes gets him into trouble, but he is very brave. Donald is currently seeking clues to what happened to the king after he was locked on the other side of the door to darkness.

Goofy \- Royal Captain of the Knights of Disney Castle. He set out to journey with Donald after his king went missing. He is cheerful and calm, and no one is more loyal to the king. Goofy and Sora are especially good friends.

Jiminy Cricket \- That's right. Me again. I'm keeping a journal of this new adventure. I also act as Pinocchio's conscience, so he'll know right from wrong.

Pluto \- The king's loyal dog. He dissapeared once when Donald and Goofy landed in Traverse Town, but he appeared at a dirt road with a letter from the king. He never leaves his owner by his side.

Riku \- Sora's childhood friend. Baited by the darkness and used by Maleficent and Ansem, Riku once fought against Sora. Now free from Ansem's control, Riku will now try to atone for his mistakes, and he'll not be alone this time.

Kairi \- Sora's childhood friend and another one chosen by the Keyblade. Sora's journey begun as a search for Kairi, who mysteriously dissapeared after their home was swallowed by the darkness. Kairi's body was taken by the Heartless, but her heart was kept safe within Sora's, and she was saved. She now journeys with Riku, in hopes of making her friend get out of his misery and defeat his inner darkness.

????? \- Unknown figure who led Sora and the others into Castle Oblivion, and separated Kairi and me from him. Just who is that figure?

Maleficent \- The Mistress of all Evil. She tried to use the Seven Princesses of Heart to plunge all the worlds into darkness, but she was defeated by Sora. Her current whereabouts apart from her memory figment at Hollow Bastion is unknown.

Ansem \- Seeker of Darkness. He baited Riku to use the darkness and possessed him once. He nearly opened the door to darkness to plunge all the worlds into the darkness, but Sora managed to defeat him, but he still slumps within Riku's heart. He currently has plans to possess him again.

Worlds:

Castle Oblivion \- A mysterious castle of memories, in which the cards rule. In that place, to find is to lose, and to lose is to find. Sora and the others stumbled upon there after he met a mysterious figure.

Hollow Bastion \- Kairi's childhood home. She told that Hollow Bastion before the Heartless took over was beautiful. Riku and Sora fought there once. It's current state outside of the memory world is unknown after Kingdom Hearts was sealed.

Story Index:

Way to Dawn I \- Our friends may be here... That's what we thought once we arrived at Castle Oblivion, a castle where the cards rule. We eventually entered inside it and saw the same figure waiting for us. He knocked Kairi out at everyone's shock! He told Sora that he needed to journey without Kairi, in which he hesistantly nodded. A few hours later, Riku also arrived and saw a knocked out Kairi. He eventually shook her up to wake up, in which she did. The card that was in Riku's hand led us to Hollow Bastion!

Hollow Bastion \- We arrived at Hollow Bastion. It was a world made up with memories of Riku's time there. Since he casted away the darkness, a voice, told him that he might've or might've not meet anyone. Riku shook that off and decided to still look for someone. That someone was none other than Maleficent! She tried to convince Riku to return to the darkness and keep Kairi hostage, but he rejected it. He and Kairi had to fight Maleficent in her Dragon form, but they defeated her. Eventually, we bumped into none other than the Seeker of Darkness!

\--

**Journal will update every two chapters or so. Also, the info is from all that Jiminy saw.**


	6. Chapter 5 - Darkness, Organization, Past

"Very well..."

Riku tried to charge against Ansem, but he was knocked back. Kairi immediatly stepped forward and summoned her Keyblade.

"So the princess also can wield a Keyblade..." Ansem said, but Kairi didn't mind.

Kairi tried to attack him, but he managed to easily block her and sent her flying towards the left(in Ansem's view, right in Riku and Kairi's) wall. She hit it so hard that she lost grip of her Keyblade, letting it fall to the ground. Soon after, she also fell to the ground with a loud thud, knocking her unconscious. "Foolish princess."

"Did you two really think you all could do me harm?"

"A weakling like you couldn't even defeat Sora- And you had darkness in your side."

Riku tried to stand up.

"Excuse me... for being weak."

Ansem, knowing that Kairi was KO'd and Riku was weak, walked towards him.

"You **are** weak. You **need** darkness. Surrender."

"Bow to darkness. Bow to me."

Riku was mad. "That's not gonna happen!"

"Only the darkness can offer to you all the strength that you will need."

"You're wrong!" A high-pitched voice echoed in the room. Riku immediatly recognized the voice. A light appeared in front of Riku.

"That voice... Your Majesty?"

"That's right!" Mickey said. "Remember, Riku. You're not alone. You also have Kairi by your side."

The light shrinked to only a little dot and entered Riku. The silverette put his hand on his chest.

"Listen close. The light'll never give up on you. You'll always find it, even in the deepest darkness!" Mickey explained to him.

"I've got it."

Riku finally managed to stand up, Soul Eater in hand. "I won't lose to darkness. Not today."

"You think that feeble little light can save you from the darkness i command?"

Ansem summoned his faithful Guardian. "You shall feel the darkness everywhere!"

"Give me all you got. I'll give it right back!" Riku exclaimed.

Riku immediatly charged foward to Ansem, attacking him with everything he got. Ansem blocked them, but his attacked dealed some nice damage to Riku.

"Not giving up yet? I wonder how much of this you can take."

"I'm just going along until YOU give up."

Riku used some dark magic to confuse Ansem then VIOLENTLY striked him from above. Eventually, Ansem summoned away his Guardian.

"What, that all you got?"

When Riku said that, Kairi groaned and managed to stand up, and ran to Riku's side. Ansem didn't mind.

"It seems to me that you are intent on resisting the darkness. Alright, then..." Ansem showed a card. "This is a card crafted from your memories."

"Advance through the world it creates and soon, you will understand. Chasing after the light is not the way. It will not give you distance from the darkness."

"There is no running from the darkness." Ansem finished explaining.

"Don't worry, i won't run. Give it to me. I'll enter the world and in the end, if i haven't given in to the darkness..."

"Then i win." Ansem tossed the card to Riku, who picked it up. Ansem evily grinned.

"I have one more gift to you." Ansem said, clentching his fist a little. Darkness appeared from Riku's chest.

"What DID you do!?" Kairi demanded to Ansem.

"I simply tampered the darkness that yet remains in his heart."

"You still think that i'd rely to on darkness?"

"To use it or not is your choice."

"I'll be waiting Riku...** for you to sense it and yield to the darkness in your heart!**" Ansem dissapeared in a dark corridor. Riku clentched his fist in anger, then he and Kairi ran away.

**Unknown ****Place**

A young man with silver-blue hair, with part of it brushed down, covering his right eye, using a black coat too was thinking. Then, another man arrived.

"Don't i even warrant a hello, Lexaeus?" the man asked the other, named Lexaeus. Then, another man arrived, earning the attention of the others. He had green eyes, blonde hair that went to his shoulders.

"What is going on here, Zexion? I want an explanation." the man asked Zexion.

"Oh, nice to see you too, Vexen."

"It's such a shame." Zexion frustated himself. "The Organization used to be the rope that bound us together."

"You're only Number VI!" Vexen shot back to him. "How dare you-"

"Let it go, Vexen." Lexaeus calmly said. Vexen silently sighed in defeat.

"Zexion, tell us. What did you detect?" Lexaeus asked Zexion. "Visitors."

"I picked up three scents in the castle's lowest basement."

"One of them was a pure light. The other was Maleficent-" Zexion said, but Vexen cut him off.

"Don't be absurd. The witch is long gone. She cannot return from the realm of darkness of her own volition."

"Also, whose pure light was, Zexion?" Lexaeus asked Zexion, who shook his head.

"I still haven't figured out whose it is, but Vexen, **If you would let me finish...**"

"The other scent belonged not to the real Maleficent but to a very convincing double."

"But i truly cannot say much beyond that since the double is no more."

"Our other two visitors saw to that."

"And whose is it?" Lexaeus calmly asked Zexion.

"I can confirm one of the other visitors is the pure light i picked up earlier, but the other i do not know for sure, but the scent is very similar to that of the Superior."

"And yet," Vexen said, gaining the attention of the others. "Not exactly the same, was it?" Zexion nodded.

"This truly piques my curiousity."

"Now- what to do?" Zexion asked Lexaeus, who thought for a while and said calmly.

"We wait. See what develops."

**Back with Riku and Kairi**

Riku and Kairi were normally walking towards the door when Riku sensed... something wrong.

"Something... smells funny." Kairi tilted her head in confusion. "What?"

"What's that scent? It's so familiar..." Riku gasped in shock.

"Darkness. It's the smell of darkness."

"I can't believe this is happening. The darkness even seeped into my skin."

"Riku..." Kairi lightly said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Riku."

Riku recognized the voice. "Your Majesty!"

A light appeared, then it suddenly bursted. After it faded away, there he was. King Mickey of Disney Castle. Riku gasped.

"What happened? I can see... right through you."

"Funny, huh? I can only send a bit of my power to this place. And..." Mickey looked at Kairi.

"Gosh, that's a face i haven't seen in a while." Kairi tilted her head in confusion.

"You might not remember me, but i met you a decade ago."

"Wait? I did? Sorry, Your Majesty, i vaguely remember my childhood."

"It's fine. You were little when i met you, and you two don't have to be so formal to me, just call me Mickey." Kairi nodded.

"Riku. I got a request for ya."

"Request?" Riku asked Mickey.

"Listen. Just because darkness has a hold on you, don't let go of who you are."

"You've got to fight the darkness inside you! It won't be easy to do, i know. But please, don't forget. Even in the deepest of darkness, there is always a little of light." Kairi nodded.

"Even when Sora was a Heartless, i managed to revive him back due to my light." Kairi said to Riku.

"Light within darkness..."

"You and i have seen it." Mickey said. "The far, welcoming light from the door to darkness. The light of Kingdom Hearts- It will show you the way."

"Please don't give up. Believe in the light. That's a request from my heart."

"Okay... I'll do my best."

"Trust me. I'll try to find a way to reach you and Kairi. I promise." Mickey held his hand out, forgetting that he's transparent. Riku tried to do it but passed through it. Kairi simply giggled. "Oh man. Can't believe you two forgot about it."

"Don't worry. We shook hands in our hearts, remember? We're connected, you and me." Kairi didn't have to say about it. She put a hand in her chest, reminding her of the connection she and Sora has.

"Guess we are." Then, Mickey dissapeared. "Shall we go, Kairi?" The redhead nodded. They both walked to the door.

"Could i use this card?" Kairi asked to Riku, while showing him the card. The silverette nodded. Kairi used the card the same way he did to summon Hollow Bastion. The door eventually opened, and the two walked in.

**Radiant Garden**

When Kairi and Riku stopped, the redhead gasped. "No way...! This is what my home looked like!" She exclaimed.

"Well that's good to know." Riku said.

"Say, Kairi." Jiminy said, hopping into her shoulder. "Since you vaguely remember your home, can you do the exploring for us?"

"Sure, i can do that."

Kairi and Riku started to walk around Radiant Garden, with Kairi widely smiling at the world crafted from her memories.

"LOOK OUT!" a voice shouted from behind. When Kairi turned around, a weird creature was gonna attack her had it not been for a Thunder spell. The voice had belonged to a young woman with blue hair. "Are you two okay?" she asked. Kairi and Riku nodded.

"We're fine."

"What's your names?"

"We're Kairi and Riku. What's yours?"

"My name is Aqua."

"So uh, Aqua..." Riku started to say.

"Can we stick with you?" Kairi said, earning a nod from Aqua. "Sure. Let's go."

"Excuse me." Aqua called out, running to an elderly duck.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you, sir."

"Ach, what a well-manned lass ye are." the duck said. Jiminy peeked out from Kairi's pocket.

"Excuse me, but are you really Scrooge McDuck?" Jiminy asked the duck, who nodded.

"That'd be me. I'd be pleased to help ye all, if i can." Scrooge said. Aqua kneeled down.

"I'm looking for a boy who's not from around here. Have you seen him?" Aqua asked the elderly duck, who nodded.

"Hmm. I think i know just who you're talking about. He scampered off toward yon castle in a right hurry."

"Thank you so much."

Aqua kneeled up just as Scrooge was walking away.

"Terra... I hope you're still there." Aqua muttered to herself.

Aqua, Riku and Kairi started to run off towards the castle, but they had to go around it to enter the castle. They bumped into more creatures, who Aqua call them the 'Unversed'.

When they reached a certain point, Kairi reminded herself. "Aqua, i'll stay back if that's fine with you." the redhead told her, who nodded. "Riku, you staying too?" It was Aqua's turn to ask him, who shook his head. "I'm coming."

When Riku and Aqua were gone, she turned to see her Grandmother arriving.

"Kairi."

"Grandma... How did you notice me? You're only supposed to be a memory figment..."

"It doesn't matter. You've grown so much from the last time i saw you." Kairi could not hold it anymore. She kneeled down and hugged her Grandmother, crying over her shoulders. "I miss you so much..." Kairi quietly said.

"Now, now. Don't cry."

The crying turned into sobs. "Grandma... Can you tell at least _that_ story?"

"I can. Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warm of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves, and darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world dissapeared. But, small fragments of light survived, in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from eachother. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open, and the true light will return. So, listen, Kairi. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away." Kairi sheds a single tear and kneels up. "Thank you."

"And Kairi, remember. May your heart be your guiding key." She simple nodded and ran to the castle.

When she arrived, she saw her past self peeking at the wall, looking at Aqua, Riku and a younger Mickey fighting unversed.

"Wow..." Little Kairi said, in awe. Has it been really a decade for her? Kairi didn't mind and immediatly ran to where they were.

After a while, the unversed were finally done with. Aqua explained herself to Mickey, then to Kairi's past self, before her grandmother called the little girl. Aqua eventually casted a spell on her, saying that when she was in trouble, the pure light within her would lead her to the light of another. Aqua turned to Kairi.

"You know, despite being a figment of a memory... It seems that my spell worked." Kairi nodded. "And apparently, i can wield a Keyblade thanks to you."

"I know. I never really noticed you touched my Keyblade. But then, i can't train you right now."

"Right. You're in the Realm of Darkness, i presume?" Riku questioned, in which Aqua nodded.

"Listen, Kairi. Never give up on fighting. Always fight until you can't hold it." With that, Aqua dissapeared. A single tear came out from Kairi's right eye.

"Thank you, Aqua."

-

**I presume since Aqua's basically an sorceress, i guess she can acess her memory figment, just like what Aerith did in Sora's memory Traverse Town.**


	7. Chapter 6 - Data

Zexion, Lexaeus and Vexen were very quiet in the room, with the latter pacing around. Zexion silenty gasped as he finaly managed to pick up the owners of the scents.

"I have identified the two scents. One is the Seventh Princess of Heart, Kairi, and the other is Riku." Zexion annouced to the other two.

"Riku, you say? Has he emerged from the realm of darkness? And Kairi, that's interesting, since the last time we all saw her was a decade ago..." Vexen said, trailing off at the end.

"Riku's existence- It was once doubled in the darkness."

"Fascinating... That's why you mistook him for the superior. The dark power given to Riku facilitated his escape from the realm."

Zexion put his hand on his chin. "What i wanted to know is why he and Kairi appeared here in Castle Oblivion."

"That's really quite simple. Their existence resonates that of another hero." Vexen simply said.

"Sora is in the castle?" Zexion asked him, who nodded.

"He arrived earlier. Kairi was with him, but Marluxia had to separate her from him to make sure that Naminé could meddle with his heart."

"Without even bothering to consult us."

"It seems that he desperately the keyblade master for himself, what a foolish plan indeed." Vexen said, shrugging.

"Sora and Kairi are not such interesting existences. The entity that holds true value, however, is Riku, the hero of darkness."

* * *

**Meanwhile, with Riku and Kairi**

* * *

Riku and Kairi walked out of the memory Agrabah after defeating the figment of Jafar. Then, a dark corridor appeared before them.

"Wait... Even?" Kairi questioned him. "Hello, Kairi. And you must be Riku."

"Are you with Ansem?" Riku demanded from Even (or is it Vexen?).

"You are half-correct. Let us say that he's not the Ansem with which you are familiar. He is Ansem and he is not Ansem. Perhaps a 'Nobody' best conveys the idea." Vexen said.

"Riddles were never my thing. Try again."

"He belongs to neither the light nor the dark but walks in the twilight between."

"So let me get this," Kairi acted up. "Is that why i can't sense any light or darkness within you?"

"You are correct. Catching on now?" Then Vexen reminded himself.

"Oh yes, you also stand in between the light and the darkness. It appears we have much in common."

"Maybe... Like you said, there's still darkness inside of me. But so what?" Riku summoned his Soul Eater.

"Darkness is my enemy!" Kairi sighs and summons her Keyblade. "And so are you for reeking of that awful smell."

"Oh ho! So it's a fight you want. Very good- I shall take you on!"

Vexen summoned his ice shield just as when Riku and Kairi went to attack him, which Vexen managed to block at the last second. He then tried to hit Riku with Freeze, but he failed. Meanwhile, Riku started to strike him from behind, thinking that he will most likely block it from a direct approach, which Kairi was doing right now. However, she was only suceeding on it when Vexen casted spells, when he lowers his guard. However, that didn't mean Vexen couldn't use physical attacks. He attacked the two of them viciously, even leaving some cuts on Riku. Due to his lastest attack, Kairi and Riku were lightly panting. Riku tried to attack him again but he blocked. Vexen laughed.

"I find, coursing through you, there is a darkness of formidabble power growing! Well worth of aggravating you."

"What?!" Kairi gasped.

"All this excitement has provided me with invaluable data."

"What?!" Riku said in shock, which Vexen easily launched him off.

"Many thanks, Riku!" Vexen disappeared in a dark corridor.

"It was a trick all long." Riku clentched his fist in anger.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

* * *

Zexion once again had his hand on his chin when Lexaeus approached him.

"What's happening to Sora?"

"Naminé's powers are being used to meddle with his memories are we speak. Marluxia may well succeed in getting his puppet."

"Sora would be a valuable asset to the Organization... But Marluxia and Larxene's actions, they leave me quite uneasy." Zexion continued.

"And then there is Axel. Who knows what that one is thinking." Lexaeus said.

"Vexen should take care of this. His replica is soon to be completed."

"But Vexen **despises** Marluxia. Think of the mess it would create." Lexaeus shot back.

"So we must tell him. Isn't it better that Vexen cleans up the mess than leave it to us?"

* * *

**Back to Riku and Kai****ri**

* * *

Riku and Kairi shivered at what they remembered at Neverland.

_Sora finding Kairi's body, only for her body to slip away from him as she watched from the brunette's heart._

_Riku being given the power of the Heartless from Maleficent, believing that opening the Final Keyhole would return Kairi's heart from being captive by the Heartless._

"Let's just get on with it." Riku said and ran off.

* * *

**Short chapter this time, but then, next chapter is gonna be chaotic-ish.**


End file.
